Die Hard is a Christmas Movie

The Christmas season is upon us, and with that comes Christmas movies. They range from children’s cartoons to cheesy Lifetime Christmas movies, and the underappreciated “Terrorist/Hostage Christmas” genre. The greatest of this genre is most notably Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. You read that right: Die Hard is a Christmas movie. It has become a great Christmas debate, but a thorough review of the movie through gree-and-red-tinted shades easily places this movie among the Christmas greats. 30 years ago, Die Hard hit the big screens and this article is here to end the great Die Hard Christmas debate.

“Welcome to the party pal!”

Let’s start with the most obvious point. John McClane is visiting his wife on December 24th – Christmas Eve. He is flying in and meeting the lovely Holly Gennaro McClane at her company Christmas party. Right at the beginning, the story sets the stage for a Christmas movie

Christmas Trees

Throughout this film we see multiple Christmas trees. The first is in the airport as McClane arrives. The other tree is seen at Nakatomi Plaza as part of the Christmas party decorations. Nothing represents this season more than a decked out Christmas tree, and Die Hard has them.

Streaming data by state provides Christmas Movie statistics

The site StreamingObserver utilized specific data for Christmas movie searches for streaming across all 50 states. The study found that 4 states (Washington, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Missouri) searched for Die Hard more than any other Christmas title as a streaming option.

“Now I have a machine gun. HO HO HO.”

John McClane leaves a gift for Hans Gruber in the form of one of his expired minions with “Now I have a machine gun. HO HO HO” written in blood on his sweater. McClane even goes the extra mile by topping his head with a Santa cap. Santa references add another layer to the Christmas story.

Giving gifts

Christmas has a large emphasis on gift giving. In Die Hard, John McClane is a wise man that travels from afar to eventually deliver a gift to Hans Gruber. Spoiler Alert! McClane uses Christmas wrap to attach a revolver to his back and delivers this gift to Gruber at the end of the movie.

Screenwriter proof

Although Bruce Willis was quoted as stating Die Hard is not a Christmas movie, the screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza, has stated via Twitter, “how could this not be a Christmas movie?” and finished the tweet with #diehardisachristmasmovie. The most definitive proof to date has now been released to the world through Twitter. Even the screenwriter agrees!

Yippie Kiyayy…… Merry Christmas
Christmas themes and accents abound throughout the entire movie of Die Hard. Trees, presents, family, Santa, and a lot of C4 explosives not only make this blockbuster a bang, but a true Christmas movie as well.